The Cold of the Air
by Itinerant Poet
Summary: Her eyes found themselves drawn to her, like a magnet immediately pulled to the cold ice of metal, and then the goosebumps would start, and she didn't know if it was the cold of the air, or her.


"The cold of the air..."

Pairing: Beca / Chloe (Pitch Perfect)

Rating: PG-13 (but may get higher if I continue with it)

Disclaimer: I don't own Anna, Brittany, The film characters or any of the affiliated songs/characters and I certainly don't own the eye sex you see on the screen.

Summary: Her eyes found themselves drawn to her, like a magnet immediately pulled to the cold ice of metal, and then the goosebumps would start, and she didn't know if it was the cold of the air, or her.

"Chloe you ok to take this?" Beca caught her eyes for a second, and she felt herself blush a little, it was this reaction she had been fighting since the freshman had smirked at her and Aubrey when they had tried to recruit her to the Bella's. She couldn't help it, sometimes she covered it with brazen confidence, other times she took a step away and let Aubrey fill the silence with whatever it was that she was taking issue with that day, just to avoid having to engage with whatever these feelings were.

When Beca's voice filled the silence of the pool, Chloe couldn't help but smile, letting it light up her face as she waited for the right time to begin singing herself. In amongst the group, all buoyed by the potential change in direction, Chloe could let her body relax, for the first time it seemed, she was able to let the music wash over her, and enjoy it.

"Her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining".

Chloe couldn't help but let her eyes drift over to the younger girl, stood just away from the group, a spark in her eyes that Chloe hadn't seen before as she began to sing the first of the mash up songs. She seemed excited and that glow was almost electric, even in the cold evening air of the swimming pool.

"Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her tryin', She's so beautiful and I tell her everyday..."

Chloe found her her eyes connect with Beca's for the second time since the song started, she could feel the tingle begin at the bottom of her spine, it was as if the warmth of a fire had started at her feet and the second their eyes connected fuel had been added and it engulfed her whole body in seconds.

Looking down for a moment, to gather her thoughts she concentrated on the lyrics, enjoying hearing the smiles echo around the group as the melded their voices together.

"I was thinking about you, thinking bout me, thinking bout us, what we gonna be?"

The words were just a little bit close to home, and without even noticing she found her eyes searching out Beca's, but the younger girl seemed to be distracted, looking at every other girl in the group at least a few times as she sung the rest of the song. It wasn't a long song, but by the end of it, despite how wonderful they had sounded, she was disappointed, and in all honesty she couldn't work out why.

The harsh concrete of the empty pool echoed with the laughter and the smiles that seemed follow the group as they congratulated each other on the performance. Chloe found that she was able to be friendly and happy with everyone, even Aubrey who seemed able for forget everything if the success of the song, and the success of Beca, potentially meant that they would be able to win. Everyone that is apart from Beca, she didn't avoid her, not on purpose, in fact she found that she was so desperate to go and speak to the younger girl that she would find every reason to talk to all the other girls, conversations she had avoided with Stacie, jokes with Amy, and she even found herself happy to be struggling with Lily as they all made their way up the ramp and into the campus itself.

It was only half an hour and she found herself in her own room, having given her excuses to Aubrey just to find some silence. Even in the quiet of her room the silence was deafening. It wasn't quiet at all, all the words from the mash up song were flowing through her mind, as it they were caught up in a rapid, the white crest of the water making the sounds of the song and even if she took a deep breath and let her body fall against the pillow the words were still there. It wasn't even the stress of performing, it had only been a rehearsal. Chloe knew though, she knew exactly when she couldn't get that song out of her mind.

Beca.

Closing her eyes she hoped that pressing her head further into the pillow, somehow pulling herself further away from the day, she might be able to silence whatever her mind was trying to tell herself. Drifting into a fitful sleep, still dressed as she had been at the rehearsal, she managed half an hour of twisting and turning, her mind filled with a odd collection of images. From her most recent assignments, to the Bella's each one in turn, like a flick book of emotions and irregular thought patterns.

_BEEP BEEP._

"Huh, what, huh?" Chloe woke suddenly, twisted in the top sheet of her bedspread. It took her a few moments to get her bearings, the room had grown dark as she hadn't turned the lights on, even the glare of the campus street lights had dimmed for the night and the darkness offered a coolness.

_BEEP BEEP._

Grabbing her phone from the nightstand she spotted the text message that had woken her. The name glaring at her like a demon rising from her screen.

BECA MITCHELL (Bella)

The name glared at her. Taking a deep breath she opened the message, and despite herself smiled. And then hated herself for letting just the younger girls name make her smile.

_Hi, this may be non of my business but are you ok? I was gonna come over and check on you but I didn't want to crowd you. Bx_

Chloe sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, not easy at all.


End file.
